Stardust
by kazoozle
Summary: Yang Xiao Long and Blake Belladonna have been smuggling partners for a long time. But when the princess to a Galactic Empire comes to them with work, some ghosts from Yang's past will chase them across the galaxy. Heavily inspired by BurningPeace's Millennial Rose and Star Wars. Cover art by dishwasher1910.
1. Reach for the Stars

Reach for the Stars

 **Hey everyone, here is my new story, Stardust! This story is heavily inspired by BurningPeace's Millennial Rose story, as well as my favorite thing other than RWBY, Star Wars. Now this is not a crossover, but the galaxy that I've created follows the same rules as Star Wars, as well as some naming conventions (hyperspace, Star Destroyers, etc). Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The stars lit up the sky over the night side of the planet Patch. Ships could be seen lifting off on the horizon, heading to the other inhabited planets in the Vale system or beyond. Freighters, personal transports, shuttles, starfighters, ships of all shapes and sizes carrying all sorts of cargo. In Patch's orbit, a Vale Republic capital ship ensures that all ships leave the planet safely and without conflict, the destroyer's silhouette barely visible in the night sky.

"Oh, Yang, what's that really bright one?" little Ruby asked her older sister.

"Which one?" Yang replied, scanning the stars for the subject of her sister's question.

"That one right there!" Ruby pointed to the bright star in the northern sky.

"That's Vale Prime, the capital of the Republic," Yang answered cheerfully. "And see that other bright one over there? That's Vytal!"

"What about that one?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know the names of all of the stars Ruby," Yang said.

"How many are there?" Ruby asked.

"Billions and gazillions!" Yang answered, stretching her arms out for emphasis.

"Wow, that's a lot," Ruby said, mesmerized by the made up number. "Did anybody see all of them?"

"Mommy says no one can do it, because there's so many," Yang said.

"That's not true!" Ruby said, sitting up with a massive grin on her face. "I'm going to see all of them when I learn to fly!"

"Not if I do it first!" Yang said, sitting up with her sister. "I already got a head start!"

"Yang that's not fair!" Ruby said, pouting. "You're bigger than me, and Uncle Qrow won't start teaching me until my next birthday! You can't leave Patch until I learn to fly!"

"That's not fair either!" Yang protested.

"Hey kids," their mother's voice called from the house. Summer walked into the back yard, where the two girls were stargazing. "It's nighttime. You have to be quiet because other people are sleeping."

"Mommy, Ruby says I can't leave Patch until she learns to fly!" Yang tattled.

"Yang, you can leave Patch as soon as you're old and ready enough," Summer said, smiling warmly at her adopted daughter. "And Ruby, you just need to be patient. Your time will come."

"Sorry, Mommy," Ruby said, throwing a quick glance at her half-sister.

"Ruby, you know who you really have to apologize to," Summer said.

"Sorry, Yang," Ruby said. "You don't have to wait for me."

"Ruby, what do you want to do when you learn to fly?" Summer asked, an idea forming in her head.

"I wanna be just like Uncle Qrow! I wanna fly a starfighter!" Ruby said excitedly.

"And you, Yang?" Summer asked the blonde sister.

"I dunno," Yang said simply. "I just wanna fly!"

"See Ruby?" Summer said. "Even if Yang were to wait for you, you two would both choose a different path. Of course you two should remain close, you are family after all. But, you two aren't always going to be by each other's side."

"What path should I take, Mommy?" Yang asked.

"Well, Yang, you're only seven," Summer said while ruffling the mass of blonde hair. "You don't need to have that figured out just yet. The sky's no limit, so reach for the stars."

Ruby and Yang both looked at the sky once again. Thoughts of their futures spent living their lives amongst the stars. Ruby flying with the Republic and defending the peace that the galaxy was experiencing. Yang on the other hand, just imagined living. Having her own ship, exploring every corner of the galaxy, living life the way she wanted. She wanted to be free in the heavens.

* * *

10 years later

This is not what Yang had in mind. She grimaced as she checked her funds on her scroll.

"Dammit," she said under her breath. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to eat for the rest of the week, let alone afford fuel to get her off of this rock. She took a sip of her drink. She'd been on Genta for too long. Maybe she could ask her parents for some help? She pushed the thought away, the last thing she wanted was to go to them asking for a handout. That's just prove that they were right, and that she wasn't ready to leave Patch yet. What she needed was work.

She looked at the holoboard in the corner of the cantina. No one was around it, which means nobody has seen her notice. "Pilot and Ship Looking for Work." Yang looked at her surroundings. A lot of freighter pilots, some of them probably smugglers, like herself. There was also some local blue collar workers and off-duty Imperial Officers. No work to be found from them.

 _Maybe I could join the Empire,_ Yang thought. _At least they pay._ The headline on the holoscreen above the bar caught Yang's eye. _Atlesian Empire defends Saph system from White Fang attack._ As she was watching, she didn't notice the brown-hooded woman approaching her table until the stranger sat down.

"Can I help you?" Yang asked her.

"You're the pilot looking for work I presume?" the woman asked.

"That's me, Yang Xiao Long, captain of the _Ember_ at your service," Yang said, grinning at the possibility of work and stretching out her hand.

"A pleasure," the woman said cheerfully while taking Yang's hand in a handshake. "Sorry, but I'd rather not speak my name until… certain parties aren't around."

"I can respect that," Yang said. "What kind of work are you offering?"

"I need an escort," the woman explained.

"Wrong place," Yang said with a smirk. "Brothel's down the street."

"I meant I need passage and security to another system in Imperial space," the woman said giggling. Yang was glad the woman had a sense of humor, otherwise she might've lost the job with that joke.

"Sounds simple enough," Yang said.

"I'd also like to avoid any encounters with the Empire if possible," the woman added.

"There's the catch," Yang said. "Well sister, you came to the right pilot. My ship is stealth-equipped, so I can send fake clearance codes to that Destroyer placed in orbit. It'll go anywhere."

"Perfect," the woman said happily.

"What's the cargo?" Yang asked.

"Just myself and some equipment," the stranger said. "How much will you charge for all of this?"

"Well I'd need to know where I'm going first," Yang said.

"I can't tell you that here."

"Same reason as your name?" The hood nodded. "Okay tell you what. I'll need 3,000 lien now for fuel and supplies for the trip. Once we're clear of the Empire and I find out where you're going, then we'll talk about the rest."

"I can do 3,000 now," the woman said. She reached beneath her cloak and pulled out a stack of lien chips. She counted them in her hand before handing them to Yang. "Here you go, 3,000 lien."

"Beautiful!" Yang said as she took the money. "You've got yourself a ship. Looks like I have some preparation to do. Tomorrow at noon Galactic time, docking bay 479."

"Great!" the woman said. "See you tomorrow, Captain."

"Just Yang is fine," Yang smiled. As much as she loved having the title, she felt like this woman could be a friend. Her friends shouldn't call her Captain, it's too formal. She watched as the woman walked away, before getting up and heading for the bar. "Get me a brattle burger to go, I've got some shopping to do."

* * *

Yang ran checks on all of the _Ember's_ components. It'd been a while since she left the planet, she had to make sure the old girl was still space-worthy. The shield generator was in perfect working order, but the front cannon needed a little cleaning. After cleaning it, she checked the engines and hyperdrive, both of which were ready to go. Yang entered the cockpit and told the ship's computer to run a diagnostic, just in case she missed anything. She looked up from the console and saw the strange woman entering the hangar, who was then stopped by an AK Security Droid. Yang made for the entry ramp, knowing that the girl would need some help.

"Identify yourself," the droid commanded the girl.

"I can't," she replied.

"This docking bay is off-limits to those without authorization."

"Easy there bolt brain, she's my passenger," Yang said, approaching the girl and the droid. "She's authorized by me." The droid looked at Yang for a moment, scanning her for identification.

"Yang Xiao Long, captain of personal freighter _Ember_ , freelance freighter pilot, authorized in docking bay 479 in Genta City. Inquiry: business of passenger," it said in it's robotic voice.

"Transport to the Vale system, visiting family in Republic City on Vale Prime," Yang answered. The droid analyzed for a moment.

"Valid. Move along." The droid turned and left the docking bay, leaving the two women alone.

"Well, here she is!" Yang said proudly. "I know she's not the most impressive ship, but she's got it where it counts. I already got your stuff loaded up, so I just need to decouple the fuel line and we'll be good to go. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable."

"Thank you Capt- I mean Yang," the woman said before boarding the ship. Yang went and closed the valve on the fuel line before disconnecting it from the ship. She then boarded after the woman, who was waiting for her in the cockpit, her face on full display. She had brown eyes and shoulder-length brown hair, her lips formed into a sweet smile. She was cute.

"How'd you come up with that lie so fast?" she asked Yang as the latter took the pilot's seat.

"The Vale system is my go-to when I have to lie about my business. The Empire doesn't ask too many questions when you bring up Republic space, " Yang explained. "You have our heading?"

"The Aur system," the woman said. Yang racked her brain. The system found familiar, she just couldn't place why.

"Aur system, Aur system, Aur-wait!" Yang said as she remembered the system from the stories. There was only one planet of note in the Aur system. "Are… Are you going to Remnant?"

"You caught me," the girl said. "Is that a problem?"

"No! Not at all!" Yang replied. "My mom always told me the legends about Remnant, like the Hunters and Dust. I've always kinda wanted to see humanity's point of origin for myself, but never had a reason to. Why do you want to go there?"

"Oh right, I forgot!" The girl stretched her hand toward Yang. "Dr. Veri Dian, archaeologist."

"A pleasure," Yang said, taking Veri's hand for the second time since meeting her. "Well, if you're an archaeologist, then it'd make sense why you'd want to go. Why pick me though? Surely the Empire would allow you to do your research there."

"Do you know how much permits and an Imperial Escort cost? It's cheaper to hire a smuggler," Veri explained.

"Point taken," Yang said. "Well, if we're going to Remnant, I'm going to need about 10,000 more lien after the trip."

"That won't be a problem at all!" Veri cheered. Clearly a grand total of 13,000 lien was cheaper than whatever the Empire would ask for.

"Alright then, beginning takeoff sequence," Yang said. She had only been on Genta for about a month, but it felt like an eternity since she last broke atmosphere. She missed space, and was excited to get off the ground after so long. Yang closed the entry ramp and spooled up the engines. The ships repulsors kicked on, lifting her off of the ground. Yang raised the landing gears and guided the ship up and out of the hangar, before angling toward the sky and letting the main engines launch them toward orbit.

"Star Destroyer _Evasive,_ this is personal freighter _Ember,_ requesting clearance to leave the system," Yang said over the ship's comm.

"Copy that, _Ember_ , please transmit destination code," a voice replied. Yang punched the fake Vale code into her console and sent it to the Destroyer. After a moment, the voice came back. "Clearance granted, _Ember,_ have a safe trip."

"And just like that, the Empire is completely oblivious to where we're actually going," Yang said as she plotted the jump to lightspeed.

"It's really that easy?" Veri asked.

"No, I'll have to mask our signature once we jump. If any Imperial patrols find us, we just have to jump to the Vale system and restore my normal transponder. They'd have no proof it was us in the Aur system."

"Wow, you're pretty good at this," Veri said, an impressed look on her face.

"Trick of the trade," Yang said. "A good smuggler makes their illegal activities seem legal. You strapped in? We're about to jump." Veri nodded, and Yang pulled a lever in her console. The stars before them elongated as the hyperdrive kicked in, before turning into a deep blue tunnel, dark mass shadows flying by the ship.

"This is your captain speaking, we have reached cruising speed, so you may now unbuckle and move freely about the cabin," Yang snarked. They both unstrapped themselves from their seats. "It'll be a couple hours before we get there, so get comfortable."

"Doesn't look like there's much for seating besides the cockpit," Veri said as she looked around the admittedly small ship.

"Yeah, she's small, but she gets all of the jobs done," Yang said fondly.

"How long have you had her?" Veri asked.

"About two years. I know it doesn't seem like long, but this ship has kept me alive that entire time," Yang answered. "What about you? How long were you on Genta before finding me?"

"About three years," Veri said. "It was the site of my first dig after graduating from the Historical Academy on Atlas. I decided to stay and research everything we found, and then I found that there was nothing left to learn. So I set my sights on Remnant."

"Do you like it?" Yang asked. "Being an archaeologist, I mean."

"It's always been my dream," Veri said. "I've always loved history, so I wanted to study it and learn more about it, so we could better understand what the galaxy used to be like!"

"As good a reason as any," Yang said, smiling at the other's enthusiasm.

The two talked like this for most of the trip. Yang learned a lot about Veri. She was kind, smart, and passionate about her work. They talked about their dreams and ambitions. Having this conversation, Yang realized that she was already living her dream. She was living freely among the stars. She was right where she wanted to be.

"Alright, we're coming up on the Aur system," Yang said as they strapped themselves in again. Yang pulled the lever on her console again, this time the tunnel they were travelling through started to slow, individual lines forming outside the viewport. They quickly turned into the familiar stars that dotted the blackness of space. However, dominating the viewport was a small, blue planet.

"That's it! That's Remnant!" Veri cheered.

"Sure is, hang on, I'm entering the atmosphere," Yang said as she guided the ship toward the blue orb. The viewport glowed orange as _Ember_ entered Remnant's atmosphere, but soon the orange haze was replaced by a blue sky and fluffy white clouds. Yang dove downward below the clouds, revealing a large landmass. It was covered by a thick forest, with large oceans to the north and east. It reminded Yang of home, of Patch. Yang checked the ship's clock, and saw something she never thought she would. The local and Galactic clocks were synced together. It's no secret that the galaxy kept time based off of Remnant's day and year, but who else could say that they've seen the clocks perfectly synced?

"Any particular place you want me to set down?" Yang asked.

"Yeah," Veri said as she brought up a holomap. "There!" she said, pointing at a strangely shaped continent. "If the old maps are right, that's the continent of Tarra, I want to see if there's something in this area." Yang nodded as Veri indicated the area, and then changed the ship's course to head for that part of the planet. The scenery changed a lot as the flew over the planet. Forests, abandoned cities, vast oceans, even a desert. Remnant had lot of different environments packed into such a small planet. It wasn't long until they reach Tarra. Yang headed toward the coordinates that Veri gave her, and looked for a good place to set down.

"That looks good," Yang said, indicating a clearing in the forest ahead of them. Yang lowered the landing gears and set the ship down. She lowered the boarding ramp and started powering down the ship's systems.

"Want to help me push some of this equipment to the site?" Veri asked.

"I'd love to," Yang said as she stood up. She stopped to strap her blasters on before she followed her passenger to the cargo hold. One strapped to her right thigh, and one strapped across her lower back, in easy reach of her left hand. They pushed the hovering crates down the ramp and onto the soft grass. Veri led the way to the site that she was going to be studying. After a couple minutes of walking, they entered another clearing, this one at the base of a mountain. The mountain wasn't the interesting part though, what caught Yang's attention were the two massive doors at the base of the mountain.

"Oh my god, it's true!" Veri said in the most excited tone Yang had heard her use yet.

"What's true?" Yang asked.

"That there's a temple built into the base of this mountain!"

"A temple, huh?" Yang was intrigued. "Think there's any treasure in there?"

"I doubt it, but I can't wait to see what there actually is inside!" Veri cheered again. She approached the large double doors, and gave them a large push. "Yang, come help me with this!"

Yang approached the doors and helped. The large stone walls started to give way, opening up into the mountain. It was dark inside, and shadows seemed to slither around on the inside.

"Well, let's go!" Veri said.

"I don't know, I have a bad feeling about this," Yang said as she looked into the temple. It felt cold, ominous.

"What's wrong, afraid of the dark?" Veri teased. She started walking into the temple. "Come on, everything will be fi-" She stopped talking and froze. "Y-Yang, I can't move!"

"Oh stop screwing around Veri," Yang said, a little shaky.

"Yang, I'm serious!" Veri exclaimed. The slithering shadows started moving towards Veri, and started to encase her legs. Between Veri's terrified screams, Yang thought she could hear a woman laughing. She drew her blasters and started firing at the shadow and into the temple. When the shadows, Veri was pulled deeper into the temple. Then the shadows started advancing on Yang. Yang backed up out of the temple, still firing at the oncoming shadows. After she crossed the threshold, the doors slammed closed.

"Veri!" Yang called at nothing. Her new friend was gone, swallowed up by living darkness. She dropped to her knees in despair. "Veri!"

A sudden wave of force knocked Yang back about 20 feet. She sat up and looked at the temple in bewilderment. Another blast rocked her and pushed her back a few feet.

"Time to go!" She scrambled to her feet and sprinted back to the _Ember._ More force waves pulsed from the temple, each one increasing in intensity and making Yang stumble. She scrambled up the docking ramp and into the captain's chair. She hastily began a takeoff, firing the repulsors before bothering to raise the boarding ramp. She punched her sublights and rocketed off toward space, each energy pulse rocking the ship. She calculated the jump to Vale and got ready to jump as soon as she cleared the planet's atmosphere.

She broke clear, and pulled the lever to jump. The stars elongated, but just as Yang thought she was in the clear, a massive energy pulse hit the ship. The impact sent sent the ship careening into hyperspace, and knocked Yang unconscious, unable to regain control when the ship eventually fell from hyperspace.

* * *

 **There it is, the first chapter of Stardust! I'm really gonna need feedback on this one, so I really need you guys to follow, fav, and review! See you all next time!**


	2. A Blessing in Disguise

A Blessing in Disguise

* * *

Yang only remembered flashes, but they played on a constant loop in her brain as she lay unconscious. She saw the _Ember_ beginning to enter hyperspace, she saw a rainbow of colors as the ship barreled through the jump and flew off-course, and she saw yellow. A lot of yellow. On and on the sequence repeated, not giving any indication to the passage of time. But then the loop stopped, and Yang could think again. She was conscious now, but only saw black, her eyelids closed. She heard somebody near her, smelt something familiar, the smell of soup. She felt a mattress pressed against her back, confirming that she wasn't in her cockpit anymore. And her head hurt, a lot. Whatever sleep she got was not restful. She stirred, wanting to sit up and get her bearings. She succeeded, sitting upright and opening her eyes.

Yang wanted to see her parent's house on Patch, her old room with band and ship posters plastered on her walls. She hoped the soup smell was coming from the kitchen downstairs, where Mom was making her famous Vale Chicken Noodle soup. She wanted to hear Ruby in the next room, getting angry at her flight sim. She was disappointed, greeted by sandstone walls and air conditioning that wasn't strong enough. Yang didn't mind heat, but waking up in it was still unpleasant. Her eyes wandered, and found the source of the other presence and the soup smell. A girl stood over a counter across the room, a pot of soup on the small stove next to her. Her ebony hair reached down her back, down to… one of the best butts Yang had ever laid eyes on. She shook her head to focus herself. Questions first, admiration later.

"Hey," Yang called out to the girl. "Where am-?" She was cut off by the girl twirling around, suddenly brandishing a blaster pistol leveled at Yang. Yang could now see her host's other features. The girl had a slender yet toned body, dressed in black garb that befitted a scavenger. She wore a hard expression on a beautiful face, two fierce golden eyes glared at Yang. And on top of her head sat… _Cat ears?_ Yang thought. _A Faunus, huh?_

"Are you Imperial?" the Faunus girl asked sharply.

"What?"

"Are. You. Imperial?" the girl asked again, punctuating each word.

"N-no!" Yang said, still tripped up by her host's sudden hostility. The girl relaxed slightly, but kept her dagger-like eyes and the blaster on Yang.

"What about Republic? Or Union?" she asked, keeping the intensity.

"Neither, I'm freelance," Yang answered. The girl let out a relieved sigh and holstered her blaster, conceding that Yang wasn't a threat.

"Name?" the Faunus asked as she turned back to her pot of soup.

"Yang." The girl scooped some soup into a bowl on the counter and made her way over to Yang.

"What do you do?" she asked as she set the soup down on a table next to Yang's bed. "Eat and talk, you need to get your strength back." Yang didn't need to be told twice.

"I'm a freighter pilot," Yang said ungracefully between bites. It definitely wasn't Mom's, but it was good nonetheless.

"I don't like liars, Yang," the girl said, not showing any hint at buying Yang's stretched truth.

"I didn't lie," Yang said after a gulp of soup. "I told you what the Galactic Governments have listed as my job. If you gotta know, I'm a smuggler. Speaking of the galaxy, where am I?"

"Vacuo Prime." The Faunus walked back to the counter and prepared a bowl of soup for herself. "I was out and saw your ship crash in the desert. I figured you were the pilot, since it was a small ship and there were no other bodies in the wreckage. I brought you back here, and made sure you didn't die."

"Thanks for that," Yang said, finishing her bowl. "How long was I out?"

"A local week, four standard days," the girl said. She sat down in a chair across from Yang and handed her a glass of water. "If you're feeling up to it later, I can take you to the crash site. Maybe you can salvage something."

"Thanks." Yang downed the water. "Who do I have to thank for saving me, by the way?" The Faunus seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if she was debating on even telling Yang.

"Blake," she finally said. Yang stuck her hand toward Blake, surprising the newly-named Faunus.

"Good to meet ya, Blake!" she said in a cheery voice. After a moment, Blake took Yang's hand.

"A pleasure," she said, smirking a little at Yang's friendliness. "Just let me know when you're feeling good enough to go."

"Actually," Yang said as she stood up. "That soup of yours really hit the spot!" She twisted her torso and stretched her arms and legs. "I can go now, if you want to."

"If you say so," Blake said, also standing up. "Come on, the speeder's out back."

* * *

"So what tipped you off that I wasn't just a commercial pilot?" Yang called over the whipping winds as the speeder cruised through the vast desert of Vacuo Prime.

"I know a lot about ship design," Blake answered. "You had some modifications that no normal freighter pilot would have. Imperial inspection crews wouldn't notice, but someone that's worked with mods like that know what to look for."

"You've modded ships?"

"I'm a salvager, I comb the desert for ship wreckage and strip them for working parts," Blake explained. "Parts like that are worth a lot if they're in working order." Yang looked at her suspiciously for a moment.

"Did you strip my ship?" Yang asked.

"No, all of the good parts were damaged," Blake answered, without even a hint of sarcasm.

"Is it that bad?" Yang asked, feeling her heart sink.

"See for yourself, it's just up ahead." Yang looked forward and noticed a lump of metal coming into view. It was bad. Some parts of the shape were unmistakably the hull of the _Ember,_ others were twisted and mangled. Yang didn't want to admit it, but her baby was never going to fly again. Blake parked the speeder near the wreckage, and Yang jumped out. She walked to the ship and put a hand on what was left of her hull. Yang thought back to her years with the _Ember_ , the countless nights sleeping in her hold during long hyperspace trips. She thought about all of the risky missions she took to upgrade the old girl, and how she rescued Yang on those very same missions. To a lot of people, a ship is just a ship, but to Yang, the _Ember_ was family.

"She was important to you?" Blake asked.

"Yeah." Yang wiped a tear that was creeping in the corner of her eye. "Couldn't tell you how many pirate fighters she brought down, or how many Star Destroyers she snuck past. She was old, slow, but I made her the best damn ship that I could, and I'm sure she went out happy." Yang stepped around and looked for the cockpit viewport. Some of the starglass was shattered in places, and she figured that's where Blake pulled her out from. She climbed through the panel with the least amount of shards around the edges and surveyed the ruined cockpit. All of the lights and monitors with dark, the power cells either drained, looted, or knocked loose from the crash. It was dark, empty. She was just a hunk of metal dotting the desert, never to see the stars again.

Yang looked around, looking for something that must have survived the crash. She found one of her blaster pistols on the deck next to the captain's chair, and the other one underneath the main console. She activated the light on one of them and went back into the cargo hold. She shined the light around, looking at the remains, and spotted her personal compartment. She opened it up and saw her old family picture, luckily still intact. She smiled in nostalgia. The picture was of the four of them in their backyard on Patch. Yang at 13 and Ruby at 11, with their parents Taiyang Xiao Long and Captain Summer Rose. It was taken on the last day of Summer's shore leave. Yang wondered where she was in the galaxy at that moment, Star Destroyer captains got assigned to all corners of Republic space. Yang had already been planning on stowing away on a ship off of Patch when the picture was taken. She'd probably still be on Patch if she hadn't. But now she was on Vacuo Prime, in the wreckage of her livelihood. She pocketed the picture and went back to inspecting her compartment. Her tablet and wrist-comm were destroyed, she'd have to get new ones. The spare blaster packs were fried. The picture was the only thing that made it.

Yang climbed out through the cockpit again, not finding anything worth saving. Blake was waiting by the speeder, expectantly.

"Find anything?"

"My blasters and a couple of personal items," Yang said somberly. "Nothing of value really. How the hell am I going to get off of Vacuo Prime?"

"You can't afford a ticket on a passenger ship?" Blake asked.

"I'm broke. That's the last time I take a job before getting payed, that's for sure." Blake didn't respond for a minute, before her eyes lit up.

"How about this? I've saved up quite a bit of money. How about we head to the spaceport and take a look around, maybe I can buy a small one for you."

"Why would you do that when you've already done so much for me? What's in it for you?" Yang asked, thoroughly confused. Blake sighed, apparently hoping that Yang wouldn't question the idea.

"I need a pilot to get me off planet," she said somberly. "I don't know how to fly, and passenger ships are out of the question for me."

"Hey, if that's all you want in return, then no problem!" Yang said cheerfully. "Let's go look at some ships!"

* * *

"So why the bow?" Yang asked, looking at the newly tied bow covering Blake's cat ears as the rode into the local spaceport.

"There's a lot of Imperial presence here in town," Blake said. "The Empire has a history of treating Faunus as second-class citizens, so if they don't know what I am, my visits can go smoother."

"Damn shame," Yang said, smirking. "I think they're adorable." The sudden flirt caused Blake's cheeks to tint ever-so-slightly red. The pair brought Blake's speeder to a local dealer to sell it, Blake wasn't going to need it anymore. After receiving a less than impressive stack of lien for it, they made their way to the docking bays.

"What about this one?" Blake asked.

"Too small, I can't make a living off of a two-person starfighter," Yang said. She actually could if she became a full-time mercenary or bounty hunter, but she only took jobs like that when absolutely necessary. She didn't like killing for money, only self defense, and certain people who angered her.

"This one's too expensive," Blake said, eyeing a personal freighter. Yang sighed, one like that would be great to get back on her feet. Yang stopped at the following window however, stunned by the beauty that lay before her.

"What is it?" Blake asked.

"A Mistralian RT-636 light freighter," Yang said in a dumbfounded voice. "It's the perfect ship for smuggling." Blake eyed the odd looking ship. It certainly didn't look impressive. The main shape of the hull was saucer-like, but several protrusions came out from various parts of it, including a cockpit curiously sitting on the starboard side.

"Looks like a hunk of junk to me," Blake said.

"I need it," Yang said quickly.

"What? I can't afford that!" Blake said. "Besides, it's in the Empire's possession, I doubt they're looking to sell." Yang thought for a moment.

"Well, if the Empire has it, then we don't need to buy it," Yang said ominously. She looked around the hangar that the freighter was docked. "Come on, let's go get some food, I'll tell you about it there."

* * *

"So what did you need to tell me about?" Blake asked as they ate their food.

"I want that freighter, really badly," Yang said innocently.

"You said we didn't need to buy it, not that we could anyway," Blake said before taking a sip from her drink. Yang looked around a moment.

"I want to steal her," she said. Blake nearly did a spit-take.

"You what?" Blake sputtered out.

"Shh! Shh!" Yang said, trying to quiet the Faunus down.

"You want to steal a ship from the Empire!?" Blake whispered, the shock in her voice still apparent.

"Damn straight!" Yang said. "That ship is too good to pass up!"

"How could it be that good.?" Blake asked.

"The RT-636 line is incredibly customizable, they'll take almost any mod on the market, provided you can power them," Yang explained. "They're perfect for smugglers, and if I can get my hands on her, I can turn losing the _Ember_ from a setback into a blessing in disguise. Think about it! I get an awesome ship, you get to keep your money, and you still get that lift off-planet!"

Blake thought for a moment. She'd spent a long time avoiding the Empire, keeping a low profile and living her life out in the desert. Sticking it to them one more time could be nice.

"Okay," she said. "I'm in."

* * *

They waited until night had fallen over the town. Even the AK droids were deployed minimally at night, no one tried anything anyway. This worked for Yang and Blake, the less robots to avoid, the better. Yang had both of her blasters at the ready, and she checked the corner. Two AK droids stood guard at the freighter's docking ramp. She looked around, confirming what she was looking for earlier that day. Two security cameras watching the hangar.

"Two guards and two cameras," Yang whispered to Blake. "How should we play this?"

"We'll have to take all four out at the same time," Blake said. "Any one of them left will alert the local garrison."

"I can hit both cameras from here," Yang said. "How do we deal with the droids?" Blake studied the cameras for a minute.

"See those crates over there?" she asked. "I can use them as cover and move closer to the ship, then I'll be in a good position."

"Okay, give a signal when you're ready," Yang said. Blake darted off toward the crates and stuck to the shadows. She was pretty stealthy and methodical, Yang wondered if Blake had done anything like this before. Blake got into position behind the nearest crate to the freighter, out of sight of the cameras and the droids, but well within sight of Yang. Blake counted up to three, and the two sprung into action. Yang popped out of cover as Blake vaulted over the crate. She took aim at the two cameras and fired, both shots hitting their mark. Blake fired her blaster at one of the droids, leaving a scorching hole in it's head. She grabbed the blaster rifle in the other one's hands and wrenched it away, blasting clean through the droid's head with the more powerful blaster.

"That was awesome!" Yang said as she joined the Faunus near the boarding ramp. A moment after she said it though, an alarm sounded.

"That was slow!" Blake called. "Get in and take off!" Yang didn't hesitate. She bolted up the ramp while Blake readied her newly acquired blaster rifle. Yang entered the ship's cockpit and scanned the main console with her eyes. She began preparing for takeoff when she glanced out the viewport. Atlas Stormptroopers began trickling into the docking bay and opening fire at Blake on the ramp.

"They certainly didn't waste time," Yang said. "Skipped the droids and went right for the troopers."

Blake returned fire as troops entered the hangar. Luckily the entrance served as a choke point, and she could keep them pinned.

"How are we looking Yang?" Blake called up.

"Just a little longer!" Yang called back. She located the deflector shield controls and activated them. The troopers shots started to bounce off the hull. Yang kept running through the launch prep, spooling up the sublight engines and preparing for liftoff. "Get in Blake, we're taking off!"

Blake stepped back and hit the ramp switch as Yang lifted the ship off of the ground. She ran into the main corridor and looked for the cockpit.

"In here!" Yang called, as if reading Blake's mind. Blake followed her voice to the cockpit and sat in the co-pilot's chair.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked.

"Nothing at the moment," Yang said. They both looked out the viewport at a dark sky, the stars becoming more and more defined and numerous as the light pollution from Vacuo Prime's atmosphere faded away. Suddenly a rumble shook the ship and a sensor started beeping.

"Dammit," Yang said. "Nevermore fighters coming up. You seem like you can shoot, there's a turret in the center of the ship, get back there and cover us while I plot the jump to lightspeed."

"On it!" Blake said as she got up and headed back toward the turret. She climbed the ladder upward into the upper turret compartment and strapped in. She grabbed the controls, but as she moved them, the gunner's chair moved too. "Okay, that's weird."

"I just need a minute!" Yang called. Blake looked through the turret's targeting system and acquired one of the Nevermore starfighters.

"Attention pilot, you are in possession of stolen Imperial property," a voice said from the ship's comm. "Surrender immediately and you will be given a fair trial."

"Fair is the last word I'd use for it," Yang said smugly. "Waste these guys, Blake."

"Don't have to convince me," Blake said as she opened fire. The ship she had locked burst into a short-lived fireball, before being snuffed by the vacuum of space. The fighters took evasive action, swarming around the fleeing freighter. Blake kept trying to acquire targets, but was having trouble keeping up with the fast Nevermores.

Yang felt the ship rock as it took another hit from a Nevermore. She grit her teeth as she finished calculations for the jump.

"Alright Blake, we're ready to go, hold on!" Yang reached for the hyperdrive lever and pulled, ready to be out of the system. But nothing happened. No starlines, no blue hyperspace. Just stars and Nevermores.

"Yang, why haven't we jumped?" Blake asked worriedly.

"The hyperdrive is reading as functional, why aren't we jumping?" Yang looked frantically around the console, desperately looking for something she could have missed.

"I can't hold them off much longer, Yang!" Blake called.

"Come on, come on!" Yang said as she scanned the cockpit. Did she skip a step? Did she miss a button? The computer was programmed properly, the hyperdrive appeared functional. She looked and looked, until she found a button near the top of the console.

"Screw it," she said and punched the button. The stars immediately turned to lines as the freighter jumped into the safety of hyperspace. Yang breathed out and leaned back in relief.

"Compressor on the hyperdrive," she said to herself, figuring out what the problem was after the fact. As soon as she said it, the ship shuddered and telltales began blaring in the cockpit. "Shit, there's a compressor on the hyperdrive!" She bolted out of her chair and ran back to engineering. She passed Blake as the latter was climbing down from the upper turret.

"Yang, what's happening?" she asked.

"I'm gonna gut the last owner of this thing, that's what!" Yang yelled as she ran past. She entered the engineering bay and looked around. "Hyperdrive generator, where is it?" She found what she was looking for and ran to it. She scanned looking for the compressor. She followed the power lines, scrutinizing every centimeter. "Here!" She found the compressor panel and wrenched it open. She fiddled with the controls, trying to bypass it. "Damn it!" The interface locked her out. Yang let her anger take over and punched the panel, effectively breaking it. Then the ship stop shuddering, and the alarms ceased. Yang walked back to the cockpit to see Blake in the co-pilot's seat again. The viewport clearly showed that they were still in hyperspace.

"Everything stopped," Blake said. "I don't know what you did, but I think it worked." Yang slumped back into her chair and put a hand over her eyes.

"That was way more involved than I thought it would be," she admitted.

"So where are we going?" Blake asked.

"The Outer Rim," Yang answered. "I have a friend in the Debest System who owes me quite a few favors. He'll help me get this ship clean and refitted, and he'll get you going wherever you want."

"Okay," Blake said. Yang eyed her. There was something about Blake that seemed familiar. THe way she fought and held her own, she had seen it before.

"You're White Fang, aren't you?" Yang asked. Even Blake couldn't hide the shocked expression that flashed on her face.

"Of course not," she said.

"I don't like liars, Blake," Yang teased, trying to lighten the mood that she inadvertently brought down. It seemed to work, and Blake relaxed slightly.

"What gave it away?" she asked.

"Your fighting style, your aim, your knowledge of illegal ship components despite not knowing how to fly," Yang explained. "I've dealt with the White Fang before, I know where that comes from."

"You're a sympathizer?" Blake asked.

"I sympathize with the biggest bank account," Yang said. "They had a job offer, I needed the money, I took it. If the Empire made an offer, I'd have sold them out in a heartbeat."

"Well, I'm ex-White Fang," Blake said. "I didn't agree with the leadership, and I left. I was in enough raids though that the Empire might recognize me if I didn't wear the bow."

"That explains a lot," Yang said. "You look tired, we've got about a day until we get there, maybe you should rest up. There are plenty of guest quarters."

"That's not a bad idea," Blake agreed. She stood up and headed for the entryway, before stopping and turning back to Yang. "Thank you, Captain."

"Just Yang, Blake," she replied sweetly. "My friends don't call me Captain."

Blake smiled and left the cockpit, and made her way toward one of the guest quarters. Despite being a commercial freighter, the bed was surprisingly comfy, way better than any of the White Fang ships or her hut on Vacuo Prime. But as much as she wanted to find some rest, her mind was far too occupied. She could go anywhere in the galaxy now, and be safe from both the White Fang and the Empire. The problem was, she wasn't sure if she wanted to go anywhere.

* * *

 **Writing space stuff is fun! Thank you all so much for being patient with me, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I sure enjoyed writing it. Remember to follow, fav, and review! No if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to playing the hell out of No Man's Sky. See you next time!**


	3. Heavenly Flame

Heavenly Flame

* * *

"Lady and lady, this is your captain speaking," Yang said over the ship's intercom. "We have just dropped out of hyperspace into the Debest system and are on course to the planet Costen, we will be arriving in a few minutes." Blake smiled at Yang's antics and made her way to the cockpit from the room she stayed in. She found Yang humming happily in the captain's chair.

"How are you liking her?" Blake asked.

"Right now?" Yang replied. "She's a real piece of work at the moment. I'm gonna need a lot of mods for this thing. When I'm done with that though, I'll love her!"

"I should hope so, after what we went through to get her," Blake said.

"Unidentified ship," a voice came through the main comm. "This is Xiong territory. State your business."

"Oh cool, mind putting Junior on for a second?" Yang asked the operator.

"What? No! Tell me what you're doing here!" he returned.

"I'm here to talk to Junior!" Yang said, some annoyance creeping into her voice. "Put him on before some government officials find your little corner of the galaxy!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" another, much deeper voice said. "That you, Blondie?"

"Sure is, Junior!" Yang said happily.

"I see you got a new ship," the newly identified Junior replied. "Couldn't recognize you."

"That's kinda why I'm here," Yang said. "Remember that favor you owe me?"

"Yes," Junior said with an audible sigh.

"And that other one?"

"Mhmm."

"And the one before that?"

"Just land, we'll talk there," Junior said, getting the message.

"You sure have a way with people," Blake said after Yang switched off the comm.

"Nah, just with Junior," Yang said. "Save a pirate's business often enough and you can have them eating out of your hand."

"Pirates?" Blake said with uncertainty. "Can we trust them? What if they kill us and take the ship?" Yang snorted with laughter.

"Oh please!" Yang said giggling. "Junior knows better than to pull that crap with me!" Yang directed the ship into the planet Costen's atmosphere. A foggy green forest stretched out before them, Blake could almost see the humidity.

"That's a dense forest," Blake commented.

"Yup," Yang agreed. "Perfect place to hide from prying galactic governments, right?"

"Are we in controlled space?" Blake asked.

"No, we're just outside of Republic territory," Yang answered. "Junior's group is discrete, don't worry. There aren't any spies or anything. I'd keep your White Fang history to yourself though."

"Already on it," Blake said. Yang began to slow the ship down as they approached a large clearing in the trees, and began to descend. As they descended, Blake noticed that they were setting down on a landing pad, not a random clearing in the trees. There were buildings all along the edge of the treeline, probably more beyond that. "How does a discrete band of pirates build something like this?"

"They hire good smugglers," Yang said with a wink. The ship touched down, and Yang began shutting down all of the systems. "Come on, I'll introduce you to our host." The pair left the cockpit and descended down the boarding ramp, where a very tall, well dressed, bearded man awaited them. Blake was right about the humidity, she felt as if someone put weights on her lungs as she exited the ship.

"How the hell did you get your hands on an RT-636?" the man asked.

"Borrowed her from the Empire," Yang said triumphantly. The man, who Blake assumed was Junior, crossed his arms.

"I don't believe you," he said.

"And you don't have to, doesn't make it not true," Yang said. "This is Blake, she helped me appropriate her."

"Hei Xiong," the man introduced himself. "Junior."

"A pleasure," Blake said, shaking his hand.

"What favors are you calling in, Blondie?" Junior asked.

"I need the ship cleaned and refitted, and I need to oversee it," Yang said. "I also need a place to stay during said refit, and Blake here needs a ride."

"Where to?" Junior asked, directing his attention to the Faunus.

"I'm… not sure yet," Blake answered. "I just want to be away from any major powers in the galaxy."

"Well, I can throw together a list of safe systems that you can look over," Junior offered. "It'll take a while to compile it though, you'll have to stay here while I come up with it."

"How long?"

"Couple days, it's a big galaxy to search through," Junior said. "There'll be plenty of options though."

"That's fine," Blake said. It would give her time to clear her head and think about what kind of place she'd like to live in.

"Feel free to look around then," Junior said. "I need to talk to Blondie about her ship. Someone can show you to your room if you ask them."

"Thank you, Junior," Blake said.

"I'll catch up with you later Blake," Yang said before following Junior. The two went to Junior's private office to discuss.

"So, what happened to the _Ember_?" Junior asked. Yang looked at the door behind the man and hesitated.

"Lock that," she said. He did so. "Keep your people out of the Aur System."

"The Aur System?" Junior asked in confusion. "The hell were you doing there?"

"I took a job," Yang explained. "Atlesian archeologist wanted to go there to do some research on Remnant. She went into this temple, and… _something_ happened. There were shadows attacking her, the doors closed, there were massive pulses of energy.

"I tried to jump out of the system, but one of the pulses knocked me off-course and sent me barreling through hyperspace. Next thing I knew was that I ended up on Vacuo Prime, and that the _Ember_ was beyond saving. Blake pulled me from the wreckage and looked after me."

"Damn shame, she was a good ship," Junior said. "She saved this business a few times."

"Which is why you're going to help me make my new ship exactly how I want it," Yang said smugly.

"You mean the one that you supposedly stole from the Empire?" Junior asked.

"What, still don't believe me?" Yang snarked.

"Well, it sounds more believable than your story, but I have to believe that," Junior conceded. "You're too good of a pilot to get shot down. It had to have been an ancient temple that brought you down."

"Glad you think so," Yang laughed.

"What do you want done to her?"

"I have a preliminary list of some of the modifications that I want," Yang said, transferring the list from her new ship's computer to Junior's. Junior looked over the list.

"This is a lot, Blondie," he said.

"Don't worry," Yang said. "We'll be even. I still want to be oversee the refit, in case one of your guys screws up or if I think of any other mods."

"I'll tell the boys and droids to listen to you," Junior agreed. "They already respect you."

"Thanks, buddy," Yang said happily.

* * *

Two days and Blake _still_ couldn't think of anywhere to go. She looked over Junior's list extensively and found some nice worlds, but something felt off about all of them. She liked them, she just didn't like living on them. She got more excited about getting on the ship to go wherever she decided than she did about the destination.

She thought back to her time with the White Fang, how comfortable she was living on a ship. She thought about the excitement she had trying to get the ship for Yang.

"Yang…" she thought out loud. There was something about her. Blake grew sad whenever she remembered that she wasn't going to see Yang ever again when one of them left Costen. Blake decided she should visit Yang on the landing pad, and maybe get some advice. She left her guest room and found Junior coming her way down the hall.

"Oh hey, I was just coming to talk to you," he said. "Figured out where you want to go yet?"

"No," Blake answered somberly as she began walking with him in the direction of the landing pad. "A lot of places sound right, but none of them feel right."

"I know that feeling," Junior agreed. "You know, if it's true that you helped Blondie steal that freighter from the Empire, we could really use someone like you here."

"Are you offering me a job?" Blake asked.

"A lot of the people here were in the same position you are," Junior explained. "Lost and missing their place in the galaxy. You'll get a place to live and work to do. Plus you'll probably see her again." Junior added the last part as they came to a stop outside the door to the landing pad. Blake looked out and saw Yang talking to a droid on top of the ship.

"She talks about you, you know," Junior continued. "She's a good friend to have."

"Yeah," Blake agreed, feeling uncertain. "Friend."

"Think over the offer at least," Junior said before turning to leave. "I don't need an answer now."

Blake turned back to the door again and saw Yang talking to the droid with more intensity. She was arguing with it. Blake smiled and shook her head before walking out.

"I don't care what Sanctum Spaceworks recommends!" Yang spat. "I want these quad guns installed!"

"But Captain!" the droid argued. "The stock turret battery in the RT-636 model light freighter cannot output enough power to safely operate this model of turret!"

"Oh look at that, I already replaced the battery! Install the damn things now!"

"Yes, Captain," the droid said as Yang turned to another droid.

"You! Did you get that new sublight installed?" she asked.

"Yes, Captain," the droid answered.

"And what about the repairs to the hyperdrive? Did you take off that compressor?"

"Yes, Captain," it answered again.

"Good, run preliminary tests, I want the results as soon as they're ready," Yang said before finally turning her attention the the observing Faunus. "Man, I hate droids."

"Rather do everything yourself?" Blake asked.

"Honestly I would," Yang agreed as she climbed down from the ship. "But I want to be out of the system and looking for jobs as soon as possible, so the droids are the fastest way of getting her fixed up. Speaking of which, come here, I could use your help with this." Blake followed Yang to a maintenance panel on the underside of the ship before the blonde continued. "Figure out where you're going yet?"

"No," Blake admitted. "Nothing sounds like an option I'd really be happy with."

"Well, what kind of living would you be happy making? Hold this here," Yang said as the pair got to work on the panel. "What do you want to do for work?"

"I like this, working with ships and machinery," Blake said. "I spent a lot of my life living and working on a ship. Honestly, Junior's job offer sounds like the best option yet." Yang paused for a fraction of a second as Blake said it.

"He offered you a job, huh?" Yang asked as she continued working on the panel. "Not a bad idea. He's a good guy, and it fits your criteria. Now fold that back that way, perfect!"

"You think I should take it?" Blake asked.

"I think you should take the time to think it over," Yang answered. Blake simply nodded. "Well, if all goes well, I'll be leaving tomorrow. Make sure you come say goodbye, okay?"

"Right," Blake said. She hesitated before asking her next question. "Do… Do you think we'll see each other again, after you leave?"

"Well, that kinda depends on what you want to do," Yang answered as she closed up the panel. "If you go into hiding, I'd say the chances are slim. But I come to Junior for work a lot, so if you stick with him, I know we'll see each other again!"

"Yeah," Blake said smiling. She hesitated another moment, before surprising Yang with a hug. "You're a good friend, you know?" Blake could feel the smile on Yang's face.

"I've been told before," she said. They let go of each other.

"I should go, got some thinking to do," Blake said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wouldn't miss it," Yang said in a flirty tone, wink included. Blake made for the door and smiled even bigger when she was out of Yang's field of view. She didn't need to think. She already knew where she wanted to go.

* * *

"Blake isn't in her room, Boss," one of Junior's men said over his comm. "It appears her belongings are gone too." Yang's heart sank.

"She… she bailed," Yang said somberly. "She lied to me."

"Sorry, Yang," Junior said. "I'm sure she had her reasons."

"Yeah…" Yang said. She just wanted to see Blake one more time. She turned to look at the ship. Even though they only knew each other for a few days, Yang came to like Blake. A lot. They went through a lot in those few days. Yang lived a lonely life as a smuggler. Just knowing where she could find one real friend in the galaxy would've been nice.

"Well, I suppose," Yang said, deciding it was time to move on. "Thanks for the help, Junior. Let me know if you need any jobs done."

"I have your ship in our system now," Junior said. "Come back any time." Yang smiled and nodded before climbing up the boarding ramp to her newly customized ship.

New engines, new weapons, more hidden cargo space for smuggling, a repaired hyperdrive, and most importantly, a new interchangeable transponder. The Empire would never know that this was their stolen freighter. Yang went into the captain's cabin and dropped off her belongings. It had a new king-sized mattress in it, a holodisplay in the wall, an intercom, and personal computer terminal. It was redesigned exactly to Yang's liking. She looked forward to living a comfortable life in this room, instead of sleeping on a cot on the _Ember_ 's cargo hold.

Yang left the room after getting her things organized, save the family picture she salvaged from the _Ember_. She carried it, in a frame that Junior let her have, with her to the cockpit. It was time to go. She opened the door and saw something that she could never have been prepared for. A pair of cat ears poking out over the top of the co-pilot's chair. Blake spun the chair around to face the surprised captain, wearing the smuggest of smirks.

"What are you doing here?" Yang asked, overjoyed that her friend was still there.

"I thought about it," Blake said. "This is a big ship for one girl to run on her own. You could use a co-pilot."

"What about Junior's offer?" Yang asked. "Wait, does Junior know?"

"He sure does," Blake said, throwing a glance out the viewport. Junior was looking in from the landing pad, and gave a thumbs up when Blake looked. "I had to turn him down, didn't feel like I'd fit. But, then I realized that going with you met all of my criteria, and as a bonus, I have someone to talk to."

"Well," Yang said as she settled into the captain's chair. "A good co-pilot should at least know how to fly the ship."

"I'm a fast learner," Blake said, smirking at the joke.

"Well good." Yang put the picture frame on an empty space of the wall. It caught Blake's eye.

"Who are they?" she asked. Yang looked confused for a moment, before following Blake's gaze to the picture and realized who she meant.

"Oh, them?" Yang asked to confirm. "I guess you'll find out eventually anyway. That's my family. My dad, Taiyang, my mom, Summer, and my little sister, Ruby. Mom is a Star Destroyer captain in the Republic fleet, and Ruby should be studying at the Vale Naval Academy right now."

"How old are you in this?" the Faunus asked.

"13," Yang answered. "Haven't seen any of the in four years. Not long after this was taken, I ran away and stowed aboard a freighter leaving Patch. I just couldn't wait any longer. I needed to get off-planet."

"Do you miss them?" Blake continued.

"A lot," Yang admitted. "But then I always think about what Mom would say if I came home and told them what I've been up to."

"You look nothing like your mom and sister, I can definitely see you in your dad though," Blake observed.

"Summer's my mom, she's not my mother though," Yang said.

"Oh, so Ruby's your half-sister?" Blake asked.

"We don't like referring to each other like that, but yeah," Yang said while giggling. "Okay Miss Nosy, time to start learning. Know how to spool up the sublights?"

"That should be right… here?" Blake asked while pointing out a set of controls. Yang nodded, and Blake got to work. Yang ran Blake through all of the functions that were on her side of the console, and within moments, the ship was off the ground and on it's way out of the atmosphere.

"Hey Yang?" Blake said. "I just realized, this ship doesn't have a name yet."

"Nah, I got that covered," Yang said. "When I still had the _Ember_ , I thought of other ship names, in case I needed to change her name, or I got a new ship."

"Well, what's her name?"

"The _Ember Celica_ ," Yang said in a over-the-top majestic voice.

"I like it," Blake said. "How'd you come up with that?"

"It means Heavenly Flame in Ancient Remna," Yang said. "Plus, sounds like a good progression from the _Ember_."

"That's beautiful," Blake said. She eyed Yang curiously. "You speak ancient Remna?"

"I learned a few things in school before I ran away," Yang said. "Coordinates are in, ready to go?"

"Ready," Blake said.

"Alright, galaxy, meet _Ember Celica_!" Yang pulled the hyperdrive lever, and the new crew of the _Ember Celica_ began it's maiden voyage.

* * *

4 years later

"Well, if we take it easy on the spending and only get the essentials," Yang said to Blake, both looking at their finances on her tablet, "we should be good for the next couple of weeks."

"Doesn't mean we shouldn't be looking for work," Blake said.

"Well, duh," Yang teased. "Maybe we should get in contact with Junior, maybe he's got some work for us."

"Maybe," Blake agreed. "Would another drink fit on that list of essentials?"

"I'm sure we could make it work," Yang said with a laugh.

"Strawberry sunrise?" Blake asked as she got up to head over to the bar.

"You know it," Yang confirmed. "Thanks, babe." Yang watched as her girlfriend went to fetch the drinks. It didn't take long for the two of them to get together. A lot of time in a hunk of metal floating through space with just each other can do that. Yang smiled before looking back down at the tablet. She ran through everything they needed to stock up on before leaving. Food, drinks, fuel for the _Ember Celica_ , and maybe some new clothes. As she ran through and crunched numbers, she realized that Blake was taking a while. She looked up and saw that she was coming back, with a cloaked figure in tow.

 _Oh no,_ she thought. The last time a cloaked figure approached her in a cantina, she lost her ship. She shook her head to bring herself back to the present. She doubted this one was an archeologist operating outside the law.

"Yang, this girl wants to talk to you," Blake said as she and the cloaked figure sat down. Yang heard a faint click come from inside the cloak.

"Now nobody can record or transmit this," a woman's voice said from under the cloak. "You two are smugglers?"

"That's right," Yang said. "Yang Xiao Long, captain of the _Ember Celica_. This is my first mate, Blake."

"My name is Weiss," the woman said. "I have a job for you, Captain Xiao Long."

* * *

 **Now, the real story begins. Thanks again for reading, remember to let me know what you think of the story so far! I'm certainly excited for what's to come. See you next time!**


	4. Rich, Desperate, or Both

Rich, Desperate, or Both

* * *

She entered the office, shaking slightly from nervousness. Before her was a wide panoramic window, overlooking the landscape of Vale Prime. In front of the window was a grey-haired man in a naval uniform, observing the vista and sipping on coffee.

"You wanted to see me, Fleet Admiral Ozpin?" she asked, her nervousness evident in her man turned around, revealing brown eyes peering over dark spectacles.

"Ah, yes, Lieutenant," Ozpin said as he stepped away from the window. "Please, have a seat." The girl obeyed and sat in one of the chairs facing Ozpin's desk. Ozpin sat down across from her and pulled up a file on his terminal.

"Lieutenant Ruby Rose," he said. Ruby's heart skipped at the use of her full name. "Age 19, graduated top of her class at the Vale Naval Academy. Extreme proficiency shown in piloting, marksmanship, and tactics. Currently stationed on the Star Destroyer _Amity_ under the command of Captain Flowers. Recently eliminated five pirate fighters during a raid in the Vert System."

"The pirate thing wasn't that big a deal," Ruby said shyly.

"Most would disagree," Ozpin said warmly. "You have a very impressive resume, Lieutenant Rose. I do hope you're enjoying your hard-earned shore leave."

"I am, I just wish that there was someone on Patch I could visit," Ruby lamented. "My mother couldn't get shore leave and my father is on a business trip."

"I do apologize, but Admiral Rose is a busy woman," Ozpin said.

"I understand sir, it's just.. unfortunate," Ruby said.

"Indeed," Ozpin said. "Ruby, I have a job for you, one that no one can know about. Not your family, not your wingmen, not even your captain. It is top secret."

"For me?" Ruby asked, stunned. "Why me, sir?"

"I need someone that I think is capable of carrying out a mission like this," Ozpin explained. "I believe you are the perfect candidate."

"What do you need me to do?" Ruby asked.

"The heir to the Atlesian Empire, Princess Weiss Schnee, has run away from the Imperial Palace," Ozpin explained. He pulled up a picture of the Princess on his terminal and showed it to Ruby. Even though it was just a picture, she was the most beautiful girl Ruby had ever seen. "It is believed that she has taken an experimental Atlesian weapons system with her. Your mission will be to track her down. If she doesn't have the weapon, you are to bring her back to Atlas. However, if she is in possession of the weapon, you are to bring her back here."

"Aren't we allies with the Empire, sir?" Ruby asked. "Why are we worried about their Princess?"

"It is because we are allies that this concerns the Republic," Ozpin said. "This weapon is deeply concerning to our scientists, and if it could conceivably be a threat to the Republic, we must have it. However, if we return the Princess to Atlas, in the event she is not in possession of a weapon, I am sure that Atlas will be grateful."

"So, if I find the Princess, it's a win-win for us?" Ruby simplified.

"Precisely," Ozpin said. "Of course, you must not let anyone know what your primary objective is. If Atlas becomes aware of this operation, the entire galaxy could be impacted by the consequences."

"Oh, so no pressure," Ruby said while laughing nervously.

"We will be taking precautions," Ozpin comforted. "You will not use Republic equipment of any kind. We will purchase a ship for you, and outfit you with nonstandard weapons and equipment. We will give you a encrypted ID chip, so you still have access to Republic assets should you need them. It will appear as a civilian ID, but a DNA scanner will switch it to military."

"Oh, that's handy," Ruby commented.

"Indeed," Ozpin said. "You may go and begin preparations. Tomorrow morning we will outfit you and you will be on your way. You are to start in the Ceru system, on the planet Aulara. Intelligence reports sightings of a woman fitting Princess Weiss's description there."

"Understood," Ruby said, accepting her mission.

"Good, until tomorrow, Lieutenant Commander," Ozpin dismissed.

"Um, sir?" Ruby said before leaving. "I'm just a Lieutenant."

"Not anymore, Ruby," Ozpin said with a smile. "Your performance during that pirate raid alone is enough to warrant a promotion. You may receive another, if this operation goes smoothly."

"Thank you, Admiral!" Ruby said excitedly before leaving to prepare for the mission.

* * *

"What kind of job are we talking about here?" Yang asked curiously.

"I need transport to another system," Weiss started.

"Please don't tell me you need to go to the Aur System," Yang cut in.

"What? No, why would I go there?" Weiss asked in confusion. "I need to get to the Mele System. And we cannot have any contact with the Empire whatsoever."

"Everyone's running from the Empire, you'd think they're evil or something," Yang snarked. "What's the cargo?"

"Myself and another passenger," Weiss said.

"Well, avoiding the Empire to get to that system isn't going to be cheap," Yang said.

"I can pay you 50 now," Weiss offered. Yang and Blake laughed.

"Listen here, Wishful Thinking," she joked. "I don't know what brilliant economy you grew up in, but 50 lien won't even get you to the other end of the spaceport."

"50 thousand," Weiss clarified. Purple and gold eyes widened.

"That, will get you many places," Yang said. "All in advance." Weiss produced a large stack of lien chips from her cloak and put it on the table. Yang scooped them up and counted them. "Alright, Weiss, you've got yourself a ship. We leave tomorrow morning, docking bay 1348."

"Thank you, Captain," Weiss said before excusing herself. Yang and Blake watched her walk out before turning to each other.

"50 thousand!?" Blake exclaimed.

"She's either rich, desperate, or both," Yang deduced. "Either way, our money problems are solved! Let's go get what we need, and then head back to the ship and start getting her ready."

"Yang, wait," Blake said, grabbing Yang's arm. "Something's not right."

"What do you mean?" Yang asked. They waited for a moment, and then saw two Stormtroopers enter the cantina. Yang looked to Blake, who had her jaw clenched and her muscles tensed. "Easy Blake, we've dealt with troopers before, the Empire's not hunting you." Blake nodded and exhaled, but was still on edge. Despite the years they've had to talk around and avoid the Empire, Blake was never really able to let her guard down around them.

The troopers went around to the different patrons, showing them a hologram and asking if they had seen that person. Nobody pointed to Yang or Blake, leaving the two to relax. The troopers made their way around and finally came to the couple.

"Have you seen the woman?" came the voice from behind the helmet. The girls looked at the hologram. It was a rich looking girl, dressed in expensive fabrics and wearing a lot of jewelry. Their interested wasn't truly piqued until they saw the name of the person. Princess Weiss Schnee.

"Can't say we have," Yang said flatly. _Totally called it, both rich and desperate!_

"Any suspicious looking people?" the trooper asked.

"Aside from the typical smugglers and thieves hiding in plain sight, no," Blake answered.

"Thank you, please contact the authorities if you see anything," the trooper said before he and his partner left. Yang and Blake waited a moment before paying their bill and leaving.

"Now before you say anything," Blake said. "Yes, you called rich and desperate."

"Woo!" Yang cheered as she threw her fist in the air.

* * *

"Babe, did we replace that negative power coupling?" Yang called from inside the ship.

"Yeah, I did last night," Blake called back as she detached the fuel line from the _Celica._ Yang called for something again, but Blake couldn't make it out with her hears covered by the bow. "I can't hear you, come here!" Yang came down and stood on the boarding ramp.

"I asked if the port sensor array was recalibrated," she asked.

"Didn't you already do that?" Blake asked. Yang looked down as she racked her brain, trying to remember if she did.

"Oh yeah, I think I did," Yang giggled out. Blake smiled and walked over to her.

"I think someone had one too many sunrises last night," she said before pecking Yang on the cheek. "I'll go and check."

"I'm not hungover! I couldn't have been that drunk!" Yang said as Blake entered the ship. She looked back out of the ship and noticed Weiss, still wearing her cloak, entering the docking bay with another cloaked figure. Weiss stopped and looked at the ship for a moment.

" _This_ is the ship that will get us to Mele? The one that I payed 50 thousand for?" she said in disbelief. Yang rolled her eyes and stepped off the ramp.

"No, she's not easy on the eyes," Yang defended. "But, one of the fastest hyperdrives in the galaxy, the ability to evade and outrun Star Destroyers, she's got it where it counts." She turned her attention to the other figure. "Hey there, Yang Xiao Long, I'll be your pilot for this trip."

"Salutations, Captain!" the figure said enthusiastically as she took Yang's hand.

"Now, we're almost ready to go, so if you two will please come aboard, Blake will show you your cabins, and we'll be on our way soon," Yang said as she began to guide them. The other figure stepped aboard, but Weiss stopped outside the ramp.

"Thank you, Captain," she said. "You're helping us a great deal."

"Don't mention it, Princess," Yang said without thinking. Yang was then pinned to the stud of the boarding ramp with a dagger to her throat. Weiss' hood fell during the motion, and revealed the face that Yang saw in the hologram the previous night. Icy blue eyes bore into Yang's amethyst.

"How did you know?" Weiss hissed.

"A couple of troopers came to the cantina after you left last night," Yang calmly explained.

"What did you tell them?" Weiss said, even lower this time.

"I would never disclose a client's info," Yang snarked. Weiss blinked a couple of times in confusion.

"How are you joking with a knife to your throat?" she asked.

"Princess, I've been doing this a long time, you're hardly the first person to put a knife to my neck. Besides, I've got a fallback." Yang motioned downward with her eyes. Weiss looked down and saw that Yang had one of her blasters drawn and pressed to Weiss' stomach. Weiss sighed and put her knife away. Yang likewise holstered her blaster.

"I'm sorry," Weiss said. "I'm just… on edge."

"Believe me, I know what you mean," Yang answered as she looked up the ramp. Being with Blake for so long, she knew it all too well. "Now, if you're done threatening me, let's go get you settled."

"Thank you," Weiss agreed. The two of them walked aboard and found Blake just stepping out of one of the guest cabins with the other figure.

"Well Weiss, here's your bunk," Yang said, gesturing to the neighbouring cabin. "Right next door to… I'm sorry, did you tell me your name outside?"

"I am sorry," the figure said, putting her hood down. A bright smile and curly ginger hair lit up the room. "My name is Penny, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Likewise," Yang said. "You two go on and get comfortable, we just gotta run through some final checks." Blake and Yang left them to go to the cockpit.

"Penny seems… weird," Yang commented.

"Not as weird as the runaway Princess that we're transporting," Blake said as she sat in her chair in front of the console.

"Fair," Yang agreed. "I'm gonna go make sure we didn't leave any supplies."

"Okay, I'll just finish diagnostics," Blake said.

Yang left the ship and proceeded to the lobby outside the docking bay. All of their supplies was loaded up, and there was nothing forgotten in the library. As Yang turned to leave, she caught sight of a squad of Stormtroopers talking to the lobby receptionist. They were holding up a hologram to her. The hologram of Weiss. The receptionist pointed in the direction of Docking Bay 1348. Yang quickly turned around and dialed Blake on her wrist-comm.

"Blake, get ready for takeoff, I want to be in the air as soon as I'm aboard," she ordered.

"Why, what's going on?" Blake's voice said over the comm.

"Trouble, just do it." Yang switched off the comm, and as soon as she was out of sight of the troopers, broke into a run toward the docking bay. She made it into the docking bay and onto _Ember Celica's_ ramp when troopers started filing into the bay.

"Stop that ship!" one of them ordered.

"Blake, go!" Yang shouted. Blaster bolts bounced off the _Celica's_ deflector shields as the ship began to rise. Yang ran into the cockpit and into her seat, taking primary control from Blake. Yang hit the thrusters to get off planet as fast as the _Celica_ could manage.

"How many times have we left a planet with people shooting at us now?" Blake joked.

"Dunno, lost count," Yang snarked back. The excitement brought Weiss and Penny into the cockpit.

"What's going on?" Weiss asked as they sat in the seats behind Blake and Yang.

"We made a few friends," Yang said. "Blake, watch the sensors, I'm going to start making the calculations."

"Two Star Destroyers coming from the other side of the planet," Blake said as she checked the display.

"Why aren't we in hyperspace yet?" Weiss asked angrily.

"Because I don't want to die!" Yang snapped. "If I pull that lever without precise calculations, it could send us shooting straight into a planet or a star, and that wouldn't be good for anyone, would it? Blake, put the shields double-aft and divert power from the quad guns to the sublights."

"Well then why aren't we outrunning them? You said this ship could do that!" Weiss complained again.

"I'm working on it!" Yang said as she continued making calculations. "There, coordinates locked!" Yang reached over to the hyperdrive lever and pulled, stretching the stars before them until they were enveloped in the familiar blue tunnel. Yang and Blake both exhaled and leaned back in their chairs, sharing a sideward look and smile.

"So… we made it?" Weiss asked.

"Normalize all systems," Yang told Blake. She spun round to face Weiss. "We made it. We'll be in the Mele System in about a day. So now you guys can relax, and not put knives to people's throats for the rest of the trip." Weiss' face tinted a slight red.

"Thank you, Captain," she said before she and Penny stood up and headed back toward their quarters.

"What about knives?" Blake asked in confusion.

"Weiss knows that we know who she is," Yang answered. "She… didn't take kindly to me knowing at first." Blake looked at Yang and noticed something. A thin line across the blonde's neck. It wasn't bleeding, it wasn't even really a scratch, but Blake knew. Something sharp had been there.

"Are you okay?" Blake asked concernedly.

"Babe, you of all people should know that a knife to my throat isn't enough to rattle me," Yang said through a smug look. She patted the blaster strapped to her thigh and winked. "I had it under control."

"If you say so," Blake said. "You good up here? I want to check some stuff out."

"Yeah, it's smooth sailing from here anyway," Yang said. Blake got up and headed out of the cockpit. She didn't go to any engineering systems, though. She headed for the passenger cabins. She walked up to Weiss' cabin and knocked.

"Who is it?" Weiss called from inside.

"It's Blake."

"It's open." Blake opened the door and stepped in. Weiss was sat at the desk, setting a tablet down to turn and face Blake. "What brings you here, Miss Belladonna?"

"Why were you holding a knife to Yang's neck?" Blake asked shortly. Weiss visibly swallowed hard.

"It was a moment of panic, Captain Xiao Long and I had a misunderstanding," Weiss said.

"What kind of misunderstanding, Princess?" Blake said, making sure to emphasize the title. Weiss looked down in defeat.

"I should have figured you'd know, if the Captain did," she sighed. "I'm running from my family's Empire. I was afraid that she'd turn me in if she knew."

"Why would a Princess run away from her life of luxury?" Blake asked, genuine curiosity in her voice.

"When she doesn't agree with what it's built upon," Weiss said, some disdain in her voice. "My father is a warmonger and a tyrant. He crushed the Vacuo Confederacy just because they had a Faunus leader. That's not right, and I don't want any part of it. I'd rather be poor and hunted than supported by something like that."

Blake was taken by surprise. An Atlesian who wasn't racist or trigger-happy. And she was even royalty. Blake was shocked that someone who lived a sheltered life in the Imperial Palace could even be so self aware.

"I understand if you want to drop us at the next system, what I did was out of line, and my composure during the chase was subpar as well," Weiss said.

"No, we're not doing anything like that," Blake said. "It must have taken a lot of courage to be able to get this far, and you're leaving behind a life that you couldn't live with a clear conscience. I understand your position. I'm not the biggest fan of the Empire either."

"Why's that?" Weiss asked. Blake hesitated. The only people that knew about her secret were Yang and Junior. She had just met Weiss, an Atlesian Princess. An Atlesian Princess, that didn't want to be. Blake reached up and undid her bow, putting her cat ears on full display.

"I have to keep them hidden in Imperial Space," Blake explained. "I also had to leave behind an old life, because I didn't agree with it's direction." Weiss looked for a moment longer.

"The White Fang?" she asked, and Blake nodded. "You made the right choice. Both sides of this war are wrong. Armed conflict won't solve the Faunus treatment in the Empire, it will only worsen it. I'm glad you don't support it."

"Likewise," Blake said while smiling. She put the bow back on. "Please, keep this a secret."

"Of course I will," Weiss said. "I am sorry again for my behavior earlier."

"Don't even worry about it," Blake said.

"And, thank you… Miss Belladonna."

"Just Blake, Weiss," Blake said as she turned to leave. She made her way back to the cockpit, happy from her unexpected conversation. Yang turned and looked at her as she entered.

"You were gone a while," the blonde commented.

"Ended up talking to Weiss," Blake said.

"Oh no, Blake, you didn't threaten her, did you?" Yang asked. Blake was a little protective, and she had done far worse for less extreme offenses.

"No, it was actually nice," Blake said.

"Really? Starting to cozy up to Atlas a bit?" Yang teased, earning a punch in the arm from Blake.

"Not on your life," she laughed out. Blake looked out of the viewport at the blue and black tunnel before them. Princess Weiss Schnee, the runaway Imperial Princess. An unexpected friend for Blake. But it just left her wondering more. Who was Penny, and what does she have to do with Weiss?

* * *

 **And now we know where all of our heroines are in the galaxy! Thank you all for reading, I can only hope that this chapter lived up to the last one. Loved all the feedback I got, I think it was the most well-received chapter out of all of my stories, you guys rock! See you next time!**


	5. A Bit Odd

A Bit… Odd

* * *

Ruby walked into the cantina. It was dimly lit, there was a band playing, and patrons littering the place. Human, Faunus, all dressed in varying styles. This was a spaceport cantina. She patted the blaster holstered on her left thigh for some reassurance. She wished she could bring her cycler rifle with her, but it wouldn't do her any good at close range. She approached the bar, thinking that would be a good place to start. She had never really been out drinking before, and didn't know what to order.

 _What was that drink that Dad let Yang try that she liked?_ she thought to herself. _Strawberry sunset? No, sunrise!_

"Haven't seen your face around before," the bartender said to her, interrupting her thought process. "Where you from?"

"Patch," Ruby said truthfully.

"Really?" the bartender said curiously. "We don't get many from Republic space around here. What can I get for you?"

"I'll have a Strawberry Sunrise," she answered.

"Those have been popular lately," the man commented as he made the drink. "Here you go. So, what brings you out to Imperial space young lady?"

"You seem to be good with faces," Ruby said as she pulled out a handheld holoprojector. She activated it, bringing up a holo of her target, Princess Weiss. "Have you seen this one before?" The bartender studied the holo for a moment before glancing around the room.

"You don't look like an Imperial agent. Yeah, yeah I've seen her before," he said. "She came in here earlier this week. She was asking around for pilots. Couple of Stormtroopers came in just after she left, looking for her."

"What did you tell them?" Ruby ased.

"The patrons here know not to rat out people to the Empire, this is a safe place for the… _unethical_ workers, we all played dumb," he answered. "However, I did hear about a freighter blasting out of one of the docking bays yesterday. I wonder if she had anything to do with it."

"What kind of freighter?" Ruby asked, hopeful that she got a lead.

"Some Mistralian light freighter from what I heard," the bartender answered. "I don't know specifics, you'd have to ask the dockworkers." Ruby sipped her drink. She could see why Yang liked it when they were kids. Sweet, almost no taste of alcohol.

"Do you know what bay the ship was docked?" she asked before taking another sip.

"I think it was the one closest to here," he answered. Ruby smiled, that was where she docked.

"Thanks," she said happily. "I'll finish this up and be on my way." The bartender turned to tend to other patrons, and Ruby pulled out her datapad. She logged into Republic Intelligence, and looked through the list of agents in the area.

 _Bingo_ , she said as she read a name. Fox Alistair. Republic Intelligence, working undercover at the same docking bay. She knew her next step.

"Whatcha lookin' at there, cutie?" Ruby heard from her side. She quickly locked the pad and tucked it away, turning to the speaker.

"Personal business," she said vaguely. The speaker was a very large man, with a gut the size of a keg.

"What kind of business would a young looker like you be conducting?" he asked, leaning up against the bar next to Ruby. She could smell him, and wished she couldn't. He reeked of booze and smoke.

"As far as you're concerned, finishing this drink," she said, with obvious annoyance in her voice.

"Watch the tone there, miss," he said. "That's no way a woman should speak to a man."

"Leave her alone, Barry," the bartender said.

"I'll do what I damn well please, Haegan!" Barry said angrily. "Come here hot stuff!" He lunged at Ruby, but she was faster, She had blaster in hand and the trigger pulled before Barry even knew what happened. He fell to the floor, a burning hole between his eyes. Ruby exhaled, a small dose of adrenaline hitting her. She calmly holstered her blaster again and turned to Haegan.

"Sorry about the mess," she said, placing a lien chip on the counter.

"Don't worry about it, he's always been a trouble maker," Haegan said. "Dumbass drunkard had it coming." Ruby thought for a moment. The name Haegan sounded familiar. She pulled out her pad again and scrolled through the names in this system. She found it, Charlie Haegan. Republic Intelligence agent, undercover in that very cantina.

"Hey, umm, Haegan, right?" Ruby asked.

"That's my name," he answered.

"Can I talk to you for a second, privately?" Ruby asked quietly.

"Umm, sure, I guess," Haegan said. "Jen, I'll be back in a sec!"

"Got it," the other bartender said. The two walked to a back room of the cantina.

"Look, if this is about Barry, I told you not to worry about it," Haegan said. Ruby simply pulled out her ID chip and thumbed the DNA scanner to switch it to military.

"Lieutenant R-," Ruby cleared her throat, covering up her mistake. "Lieutenant Commander Ruby Rose, Vale Navy."

"Well that explains a lot," Haegan simply put. "What can I do for you, Lieutenant Commander?"

"Just Ruby is fine," she said as she put the chip away. "You've probably already figured out my objective from before."

"Hunting that girl," Haegan said, to which Ruby nodded. "Who is she?"

"She's Pr-, umm, classified," Ruby said, remembering Admiral Ozpin's orders.

"Of course it is." Some annoyance crept into his tone.

"Sorry, I'd tell you more if I could."

"Nah, that's always how the brass works, it's not your fault," Haegan said. "Some details our agent at the docking bay gave us, then? The girl left in a modified Mistralian RT-636, manifest had it listed as the _Ember Celica_. Shortly after she entered, Stormtroopers walked into their hangar and began shooting the place up."

"Any idea where they were headed?" Ruby asked. Haegan shook his head.

"No, they didn't have an itinerary, we figured it was a smuggler's ship, it's probably changed it's transponder by now."

"Damn," Ruby said. She racked her brain, trying to come up with a plan to pick the trail up again.

"However, the computers at the Imperial garrison might have some information," Haegan pointed out.

"How am I supposed to get intel from the Imperials?" Ruby asked.

"Our agent at the docking bay, Fox, has some talents that can help you out," Haegan explained. "I can give him a call."

"That would be awesome," Ruby said with a smirk.

* * *

Yang groaned as the alarm in their quarters went off. She rolled over and touched the holodisplay on her bedside table as Blake shifted next to her, still asleep. Yang shook her.

"Babe, we gotta wake up," she said smiling. "We'll be in Mele in a little bit." After a little shaking, Blake groaned and sat up, rubbing her eye in a very cat-like fashion. Yang loved it when she did that, it was adorable. "Come on, Kitty, we gotta work."

"You know I hate it when you call me that," Blake said sleepily. Yang grabbed her and pulled her into a bear hug.

"But you're my precious little kitty-cat that I love oh so very very much!" Yang said in a half-teasing voice.

"Yang, cut it out!" Blake said, failing to suppress a laugh. "Come on, I need to shower."

"Alright, alright," Yang said, finally relinquishing the Faunus. Blake got up and made her way to the bathroom. Yang checked the time again. It'd be about two hours until she had to drop out of hyperspace. She laid back down and closed her eyes, still somewhat tired. After what felt like only a moment, she felt a shaking on her shoulder.

"Nice try," Blake's voice said beside her. "You don't get to force me to get up and then go back to bed." Yang opened her eyes and saw Blake standing next to the bed with only a towel covering her.

"If this is what I get for it, I'll do it all the time," Yang teased. Blake simply rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. No matter how hard she tried, Yang's charm got the better of her. Blake leaned down and kissed the top of the blonde's head.

"You'll get up now if you want to see me without the towel," she purred into Yang's ear. Of course the fiery blonde snapped to attention, a wide grin on her face. Blake smirked in victory, before moving over to the dresser, making sure to accentuate the sway in her hips as she walked. As she reached her destination, she turned her head and looked back at her girlfriend, confirming that she had the Captain's full attention. With a sultry smirk, Blake let the towel fall, giving Yang a perfect view of the Faunus' backside. A mere second passed before Blake felt her Captain's hands exploring her curves, the blonde placing small kisses on her neck. Blake took in a small breath before turning around and pulling Yang into a deep, loving kiss.

"Easy now," Blake purred. "We still have a job to do today. And we both know how long it takes you to wash your hair."

"Oh Blake, why must you torture me so?" Yang said overdramatically.

"Because it's fun," Blake continued to tease. "Tell you what, as an apology, I'll wear your favorite outfit of mine today."

"The one with the coat?" the blonde asked excitedly, to which the Faunus nodded and smiled.

"But," she warned. "Only if you get in the shower and wash your hair in record time." Yang bolted to the bathroom without a word. Blake smirked and got to work getting dressed. She put on one of her black bras and a pair of black panties. Next was a pair of black leggings, followed by a black crop-top with straps that formed diamond-shapes over her shoulders. A white belt was fashioned around her hips, securing a blaster holster to her lower back and adding a contrast to the leggings. She walked by the door and put on a pair of thigh-high boots with gold edging around the top. Finally, she grabbed a long, white coat off of the coat hanger and put it on, before stepping in front of the mirror.

 _I look more like a pirate than a smuggler,_ she thought as she admired herself. She didn't have much in the way of clothes when she first joined up with Yang, but the blonde didn't let that last long. As they got jobs done, Yang would take any extra money they had left over and shower the Faunus with gifts. Blake had to start keeping a close eye on their Lien to make sure they didn't go broke and have to sell the ship. She smiled, remembering how oddly chivalrous and romantic her girlfriend can be. The Faunus turned to leave the room, but stopped short of the door as she remembered something.

 _The bow,_ she thought. A sigh escaped her lungs. She didn't like having to hide her heritage, and she was glad she told Weiss, but there was still Penny, and Blake didn't want to be so open about it just yet. She walked back to the dresser and picked the ribbon up from the top of it. Tying it into it's usual neat, little bow, she finally left the room. As the door slid open, she was greeted by the sight of their two passengers playing holochess.

"And checkmate," Penny said with a large grin. "That's five in a row now!" Weiss simply sat in her chair, slumped over in defeat. The redheaded passenger noticed Blake and put on a big smile. "Good morning, Miss Belladonna!" Weiss looked up and behind her to look at the Faunus.

"Hello, Blake," she greeted.

"Five games? How long have you guys been up?" Blake asked curiously.

"Umm, 2 hours," Weiss said as she checked her wrist comm.

"You guys played five games in two hours!? Are you really bad, or is Penny really good?"

"Both apparently," the Schnee said with a sigh.

"It's okay, Princess, you're not that bad," Penny said cheerfully.

"Bad at what?" Yang's voice said from behind Blake. The latter turned to face her girlfriend. The Captain was wearing the outfit that she had nicknamed "Hunter," the Faunus had no idea how she came up with it.

"Wow, that _was_ record time," the ebon-haired girl said smirking. "Weiss can't beat Penny at chess, apparently." Weiss groaned in defeat behind her. Still smiling, Blake turned to walk toward the cockpit. "If you two need anything, we're going to make sure everything's good, we'll be in Mele soon."

"Actually, Miss Belladonna, I have a question for you!" Penny said.

"Hmm?" Blake stopped and looked at the passenger. "What's that?"

"Why do you wear that bow over your cat ears?" the ginger asked, nothing short of innocence in her expression. Blake felt her stomach twist into countless knots. Weiss and Yang both stared at the redhead with wider eyes than should be possible.

"Penny!" Weiss exclaimed. "That's not-!"

"It's fine, Weiss," Blake interrupted. "It's a long story Penny, one that I'd rather not share at the moment."

"I understand," Penny said, the innocent look still clear on her face. Weiss watched as the Captain and First Mate left to go to the cockpit, before quickly grabbing Penny by the arm and dragging her to her room. The Princess locked the door behind them, and threw an angry glare at the redhead.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked, her voice soaked in venom.

"Did I do something wrong, Princess?" the girl asked. Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Yes, you can't just ask people why they do something like that!" she exclaimed. Penny frowned, clearly sorry. Weiss exhaled. "Penny, she wears the bow to hide her ears. It's not my place to explain, and it's not your place to ask her why she does it. People don't just ask questions like that."

"I'm sorry, Princess," Penny said, casting her eyes to the floor.

"I just hope they don't get too curious about you, now," Weiss admitted. "I should go talk to them."

* * *

"How the hell did Penny know about that?" Yang asked. Blake shrugged, still a little shocked. "I mean, the only people that know about it are me and Junior, right?"

"Well, Weiss knows too," Blake admitted.

"You told her!?" the Captain exclaimed. Her eyes turned from her typical amethyst to a blood red, something Blake only saw when Yang became truly angry. "She's Imperial! Why would you tell her?"

"She's different, Yang!" Blake shot back. "If she was truly Imperial, we wouldn't be here right now! You know that! Besides, she doesn't seem the type to break a promise."

"A promise? What promise?" Yang asked, more calmly.

"I had her promise not to tell, and I don't think she would."

"Of course I wouldn't." The shipmates turned to the door and saw Weiss standing there. The princess entered and sat in the passenger chair behind Blake.

"Then how did Penny find out?" Yang asked, still tinting her voice with anger.

"I'm sure you two have noticed that Penny is a bit… odd," the Atlesian began. "She's very smart and observant. She may have noticed your ears twitching under the bow, or maybe the feline nature of your eyes tipped her off. She has lived a sheltered life though, so common courtesy and discretion are still new to her."

"Who is she to you?" Blake asked.

"She's… important, can we leave it at that?"

"She's the real reason you're here, isn't she?"

"Yes and no, I always wanted to leave. Penny gave me a reason to finally go through with it."

"Weiss, what's in the Mele system?" Yang asked cautiously.

"Penny's father is waiting for us there," the princess answered. "The Empire took her from him, I got in contact with him and promised him I'd deliver her to him, and in return, he'd hide me from the Empire."

Blake looked at Yang. The blonde's face was still hardened, but no longer in anger. Now, it was determination. Purple eyes stared at the viewport as the Captain pulled the ship out of hyperspace and into the Mele system. They locked onto golden, and the two shipmates shared a nod.

"Well then, in that case, we best not waste any more time," the blonde said with her usual smirk.

"Which planet are you supposed to meet him?" Blake asked Weiss.

"3rd planet, just inside the habitable zone," the princess answered, putting on a smile of her own.

"Wow, must be warm if it's that close to the star," Yang commented. She guided the ship in the direction of the world and punched the throttle, cranking the sublights to full speed and rocketing toward the planet. "Let's get you two home!"

"Thanks, you two," Weiss said. "It means a lot that you still want to help us, even after all that we put you through, what with the death threats and spilled secrets."

"Hey you payed us 50,000 for this job, we're seeing this sucker through!" Yang said, earning a chuckle from Blake. Truthfully, the two shipmates just wanted to see the runaways home safely, the money was a bonus. Weiss went through a lot to reunite Penny with her family, they just wanted to do their part too.

It was personal for Blake, too. Not only was Weiss doing something brave, she was being heroic at the same time. The Faunus developed a deep respect for the Atlesian, which is never something she would say out loud. Weiss was looking up to be the diamond in the rough that was the Atlesian Empire. Blake was going to have to keep in touch her after the job was done. Despite their backgrounds, they were shaping up to be good friends.

She smiled at the irony of it all, an Atlesian Princess becoming her first friend since Yang and Junior. She wouldn't hear the end of it from the aforementioned blonde either, but the Faunus didn't mind. Yang could tease all she wanted, this was a step in the right direction, for both her and the galaxy. As long as people like Weiss existed in the Empire, progress toward equality, and away from secrecy, could be made.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading everybody! You all seem to be enjoying this story just as much as I am, the amount of feedback I've been getting for it is amazing, y'all are the best! Until next time!**


	6. Out of the Bag

Out of the Bag

* * *

There were two places in the galaxy that Ruby was at her most comfortable. The first was in the cockpit of her R-95, and the other behind the scope of her cycler rifle. She looked through it, scanning the Atlesian garrison.

"What do you see?" a voice whispered behind her. Fox Alistair, the agent that Haegan had told her about. He knew exactly what ship she was looking for, and said he'd help her find it. The pair sat perched on top of a nearby building, scouting out the security of the building. Fox had to sneak in and find any info he could on ships that had left the system recently.

"Couple of AK-130's outside the door," she said. "Thermal is only picking up a few active human signatures, figure everyone else is asleep this time of night. Lots of droid signatures though, it's still pretty tight in there. You sure you got this?"

"Yeah, I got this," Fox said. "Just cover me as best as you can."

"I don't know what you expect me to do once you're inside," Ruby pointed out. "I only brought disruptor rounds for the droids and camera junction box."

"I have this," the man said, pulling out a small device. "It's a thermal IFF chip, tuned to Republic codes. If your scope is using a Republic code, my thermal signature should have a strobe on it."

"Okay then, how does that help me?" Ruby asked, not following.

"You won't shoot me when I'm inside!"

"I can't shoot anything inside! The slugs will bounce right off of the building!"

"No they won't," Fox said smugly.

"Fox, you're killing me here, cut to the chase," Ruby ordered.

"The building is a repurposed warehouse," the Faunus began. "The walls are made of old sheet metal instead of durasteel. They'll reflect blaster bolts, but-"

"It'll be like paper to slugs," Ruby interrupted, finally understanding. "Okay then, I'll keep you covered, but I'm not shooting guards. They're just people doing their jobs, you'll have to stun them yourself with your blaster."

"Understood," Fox said, nodding.

"Okay, go and get in position, we're going for the junction box first," the girl ordered, looking down her scope once more.

"Got it, I'll let you know," the agent said as he stood up. "Later, Commander!"

Ruby kept her eye trained through the scope, keeping a careful eye on each of the heat signatures inside the garrison. The droids never deviated from their programmed patrols, and the few human guards inside barely moved, most of them probably sleeping at their posts. Ruby smiled. They were making this too easy.

"I'm in position, Commander, awaiting orders," Fox said through Ruby's earpiece. Ruby shifted her rifle towards the south side of the building, and zeroed in on the camera junction box.

"Standby," Ruby said. She took a breath to steady her aim, and took a shot. A silenced disruptor round flew from her rifle and into the box, shutting down some of the facility's cameras. Ruby shifted again and scanned for a reaction. One of the human signatures leaned forward on what Ruby could only assume was his desk. He scratched his head and stood up, walking toward the main door.

"Camera technician is on his way out," Ruby said into her comm. The man walked out the front door and circled back to the south side of the building. "He's moving toward the junction box. Standby... standby…" The trooper cleared the building corner, out of view of the AK droids. "Green." Ruby saw Fox's heat signature dart behind the trooper and blast him with a stun shot. The suddenly sleepy trooper slumped to the ground while Fox took cover on the corner of the building, just out of sight from the Knights.

"Okay, that takes care of the cameras," Ruby said. "Standby." She trained her rifle on the two Knights guarding the door. With two quick pulls of the trigger, both droids were on the ground, disabled. "Door is clear, infiltration is a go."

"Solid copy, Commander, moving in," Fox confirmed. Ruby kept Fox's heat signature in her scope, but made sure not to keep the bead on him. She took out countless droids in his path, slowly reducing the security strength of the entire base. After a slow crawl, Fox finally reached the data center.

"I'm at the target, searching now," he said over the comm. Ruby kept a watchful eye through her scope, making sure nothing came close to Fox.

"Think I found something," he said. "Single platoon of troopers dispatched to Mele, traitor to the Empire has been found. Objective: Eliminate target and await further orders. Update: Dispatched troops on high alert, VIP last seen fleeing Hogan onboard Mistrali freighter. Probable Destination: Mele system."

"Mele, huh?" Ruby said, making sure to commit the system to memory. "Okay Fox, we're done here, begin exfiltration."

"Are you sure you've never run a mission like that?" Fox asked as the pair walked toward Ruby's hangar. "You handled it like a pro."

"I'm a pilot, not a soldier," Ruby admitted, still trying to shrug off the Faunus' praise from the previous night. "I just happen to be a pretty good shot, too."

"It suits you, you should transfer to the Marines, I'm sure you'd make a great squad leader," the man continued to praise.

"No thanks, I belong in the cockpit," Ruby said, giggling. The pair arrived at Ruby's hangar, and she turned to shake his hand. "Pleasure working with you, Fox."

"Likewise, Co-, Ruby," Fox replied, remembering that the girl was undercover. "Good luck with the rest of your trip."

"Will do, take it easy," the Lieutenant Commander replied before turning to board her ship. A small personal shuttle, nothing spectacular about it from the outside, meant to accommodate a pilot and several passengers for trips across the galaxy. It was nice for what it was, but it only made Ruby miss her R-95 that much more. She boarded and raised the ramp.

"Zwei! Are we ready for takeoff?" the pilot called out. A series of beeps and whistles came from the direction of the cockpit, and Ruby entered to find her astromech droid companion waiting for her. Another flurry of noises came from the droid when it saw it's owner enter.

"I know, Zwei, I know, we're leaving now," Ruby said as she sat in the pilot's seat. "Wanna get the nav computer programmed for me? Mele system."

Zwei beeped a confirmation before plugging in to the cockpit's computer terminal. Ruby ran all of the launch preparations, switching on the sublights, firing up power converters, and bringing the shields online. Zwei began beeping and whistling, his message displaying on a monitor in front of Ruby.

 _ZW-31: What took you so long?_ it read.

"What did you expect?" the pilot laughed as she eased the ship into the air. "I'd get off the boarding ramp and start asking 'Have you seen this Princess slash fugitive?' This is a covert op, Zwei, things get complicated."

 _ZW-31: Why couldn't I come with? It's boring on the ship._

"Because this is the Outer Rim, I'm not taking the chance of the ship being stolen." Ruby triple checked all of the readouts on her instruments. "Alright, we're green. Punch it, Zwei!" The stars in the main viewport stretched before the small shuttle, before flinging the ship towards it's destination.

* * *

The _Ember Celica_ soared over the forests and oceans of Mele 312c. Yang felt a strange familiarity with the unincorporated planet. It reminded her of Patch, a lot of planets did, but this one was different. Yang felt her chest tighten slightly, in a bout of anxiety that she didn't often experience. Mele reminded her of Remnant. She didn't think it was the planet itself, but the circumstances. A girl paying her a nice sum of money to get her to the planet out of the watchful eye of the Empire. The scenario was almost exactly the same. But she looked at the key difference in the situation, and felt her chest loosen up. This time around, she'd have Blake to back her up.

"Hey Blake," Weiss said behind the pilots. The co-pilot turned to look at the speaker, who handed the former a small chip. "Plug this into the comm unit. It'll ping an encrypted frequency that Penny's father should be monitoring." The Faunus nodded and inserted the chip into one of her instruments.

"It's pinging all right," she said. "We're not getting any responses, though."

"He's supposed to be hailing us," Weiss said, her already white skin turning even paler. "Can you find any devices on that frequency? His comm should be the only one." Blake fiddled with her console a bit.

"Got it," she said. "Yang, these coordinates."

"Aye." The captain adjusted the ship's course and headed toward the designated location. After a few minutes, they saw a house. Yang scanned the area, looking for a landing zone in the forest nearby.

"Yang, over there, there's another ship in the clearing," Blake said, pointing out the landing zone.

"That'll work great," Yang agreed, guiding the ship toward the clearly. The landing gears were lowered, and the ship touched down lightly. "Ladies, we have arrived at our destination!" Weiss stood up and exited the cockpit.

"Penny!" she called. "Grab your things, we're here!"

"Of course, Princess!" Penny said in her customary cheerful tone.

"Ready to go, Blake?" Yang asked her partner. The Faunus nodded and stood up from her chair, the captain not far behind.

"Go where, exactly?" Weiss asked the two as the joined her in the corridor.

"We wanna see this thing through!" Yang cheered, and Blake nodded.

"You two have already done so much, it's really not necessary," Weiss argued.

"Nah, we insist!" Yang said as she secured her blasters in their holsters.

"You're our friend, Weiss," Blake added. "We can at least see you home."

"Well, I suppose that's fine," Weiss agreed. "Mr. Polendina would probably like to thank you in person anyway."

"Perfect! Off we go!" Yang said, cheerful as ever. The four of them descended the _Celica's_ ramp and onto the soft grass.

"Whose ship is that?" Blake asked, regarding the other vessel in the clearing.

"That is my father's," Penny answered. "It's such a relief to see it here."

"I can imagine," Yang agreed. "C'mon, let's go have a little family reunion." It was about a kilometer from the landing zone to the house, and the group was happy and energetic the entire way.

"Princess, I finally get to see Father again!" Penny repeated over and over, annoying Weiss, which in turn amused Yang and Blake. But when the group reached the house, something washed over them. The air was still. There were no signs of activity coming from the small building. The four of them tensed up. Something was wrong. They all approached the house, and when they reached the front door, Weiss knocked. No response. She knocked again. No response.

"Maybe he's not home?" Yang suggested, barely convinced of it herself.

"Where else would he go? It's an unsettled planet," Weiss pointed out. "The only other place is the clearing, and we would have seen him there."

"He should have seen us land anyway, I imagine anyone else would come out to greet us," Blake pointed out. Weiss knocked again, then tried the knob, despite knowing it was locked already.

"Okay, look out," Yang said, guiding Weiss out of the way. She turned and kicked the door, knocking it off of it's hinges and into the house. The group entered, and was assaulted by some abysmal scent.

"Man, it reeks in here!" Yang said, covering her mouth and nose. "Yo! Anyone home?" Not even a peep. She drew her blasters, Blake following suit. The blonde turned to Weiss and Penny. "You two stay put, we're gonna check it out."

It didn't take long to sweep the first floor. The house was small, the ground floor consisting of only a living space, a dining space, and a small kitchen. There was a pot of burnt… _something_ … on the range. Yang turned off the range. With the stench still plaguing the house, she got curious. She took a whiff of the burnt food. It didn't smell good by any means, but it wasn't the source of the smell.

The stairs started creaking as Blake ascended them, Yang not far behind. The flight led to a hallway running down the length of the house, with three open doors along it, two on the left, one on the right. Yang peeked into the first room on the left. It only contained a bed and a small dresser. The pair moved on down the hallway toward the last two doors. Yang looked into the left one. The same size as the previous one, but more heavily decorated. The bed was in a nice frame, the walls had a lime green-striped wallpaper on them, and there was a vanity in the corner. Yang stepped inside to get a better look. On the dresser was a framed photo of an old man and a girl that was unmistakably Penny. Strangely, the picture looked to be a few years old, but Penny looked the exact same. Another wave of the stench hit Yang, pulling her out of her train of thought.

"Jeez, what is that?" she asked, frustrated by it. "It smells like human crap mixed with-"

"A rotting corpse," Blake finished from the other room.

"Yeah! Exactly!" the blonde agreed.

"No, Yang. Come here!" The blonde listened to her partner and walked across the hall to the other room, where the smell hit her the hardest it had yet. She wretched, and her eyes watered, but she continued into the room and found the last thing she expected.

"What the hell?" On the ground before the pair laid the body of an old man. Upon inspection, Yang determined that the man was the same one as in the picture in the other room. "It's Penny's father." His back was spotted with blaster burns that tore through his clothes, and blood stained the floor underneath his face. "Poor bastard didn't stand a chance."

"What's that underneath him?" Blake pointed out. Yang looked down and noticed something sticking out from under his chest.

"Excuse me," she said as she lifted the body to pull out the object. It was a datapad, a small amount of blood dotted the screen. Yang turned it on, and an unfinished message appeared, written in Ancient Remna.

"Penny," Yang read aloud. "I'm coding this in the language of the homeworld in the hopes that the Empire won't decipher it. They have landed on the planet, and will surely be coming for me. If you are reading this, that means that they have succeeded.

"You and the Princess must flee this planet, it is not safe. Get as far away from Imperial territory as possible, seek shelter in the Republic, the Federation, wherever you can. Atlas shuttles landed not far from here, no doubt carrying a large number of Stormtroopers. You must take my transport and get off-planet, as quickly as possible. You will not have much ti-" Yang finished. "He was cut off mid sentence, couldn't even finish his warning."

"But he got his point across," Blake said. "We all need to go." THe pair stood up and ran downstairs to the other two.

"Why are you running? What's happening?" Weiss asked in an alarmed tone.

"Penny, can you read Ancient Remna?" Yang asked.

"Yes, Captain," the girl answered.

"Good, then I don't have to read it to you," Yang said, handing the datapad to the redhead. Penny only took a second to read the whole message, her eyes beginning to water.  
Penny, I know this is shocking, but we need to leave now, we can mourn later!"

"Mourn!? Yang what the hell is going on?" Weiss asked, the alarm in her voice escalating.

"Father's been killed!" Penny sobbed, breaking down.

"Weiss," Blake said "The Empire is here, if we're going to have any chance, we need to go now!" The group heard a rumbling sound come from outside. They all turned toward the sound to find a pillar of smoke rising from the direction of the clearing.

"Did they..?" Yang asked in a stunned voice.

"Oh shit," Blake said, piecing together what happened, and knowing how Yang would react.

"Did they hurt my baby!?" Yang exclaimed, her eyes turning to a blood red in her rage. Blake ran up and hugged the fiery blonde.

"Yang, you need to cool it for now!" the Faunus pleaded. "We need to get our bearings and and approach this with a clear head. The _Celica_ will be fine, she's tough." Yang's breathing slowed, clarity returning to her.

"You're right," she agreed. "We need to deal with the Empire first. We need to find them." As she said it, a window broke and a blaster bolt flew into the room. The group got down and took cover, Yang and Blake knocking over the table with Weiss and Penny hiding behind the kitchen counter. Yang peeked over the table to see out the window. At least three squads of Stormtroopers, all advancing and firing on the house. The Captain ducked back down and drew her blasters before looking at the defenseless Atlesians in the room with them.

"Weiss!" Yang called. "Do you know how to use one of these?" she asked as she waved one of her blasters. The Princess nodded, and Yang slid her left pistol toward the girl. The three armed women aimed and fired out of their cover, cutting down some of the troopers. The soldiers scrambled, taking defensive positions outside of the windows. Volleys of blaster bolts were flung between the two groups, the crew of the _Ember Celica_ slowly whittling down the troopers' numbers. Slowly, the table that Yang and Blake were hiding behind began to crumble, every shot taking a chunk out of it. After what seemed like an eternity of back-and-forth blaster fire, Penny stood up.

"Penny, no!" Weiss said, grabbing the girl's arm. "Stay down!"

"Don't worry, Princess," the girl said, her face, and resolve, hardening. "I'm combat ready."

"Penny, what the hell are you doing!?" Yang called. Before the blonde could get an answer, the redhead launched herself out of one of the windows. Both parties shocked by the action, the blaster fire ceased. Penny stood up, the eyes of the _Celica_ crew and the remaining troopers all trained on the girl.

She threw her brown robe aside, revealing a rather simple grey and green dress, with black thigh-high leggings. A metal plate on the girls back opened up, and several metallic objects emerged from it, floating in the air beside the girl. The objects transformed into swords.

"Open fire!" the troop commander ordered, and the Stormtroopers followed suit. The swords flew in front of Penny and spun together in a buzzsaw motion, creating a shield in front of the girl and deflecting any blaster bolts that would have hit her. Two more objects appeared behind her and transformed into blasters, one shooting the commander and the other hitting another trooper. The remaining three troops lost their nerve and stopped firing. Penny seized the opportunity and flung the spinning blades in an arc, bisecting each of the three troops in one move. The swords and blaster transformed back into their original shaped and returned to the plate on Penny's back.

"That was for Father."

Yang and Blake stood in awe at what they had just witnessed. They both turned to look at Weiss, who looked slightly defeated.

"What was that, Weiss?" Yang asked, still dumbstruck.

"I guess it's out of the bag now," Weiss sighed. "Penny's not exactly human. That's the reason we left the Empire. She's their new superweapon. The prototype of the Huntress-class Combat Droid."

* * *

 **I've gotten so bad at updating consistently, sorry to leave you all hanging! But hey! New chapter! Let me know what you guys think of it, and I promise, the next one won't take months!**


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